Basketball-sized bee’s nest has Dallas apartment residents worried

DALLAS – A bee’s nest which appears to be home to thousands of bees is causing great concern for mom, dad, and three children who live in the apartment that is just feet away.

“My children are in the house. They’re scared of any bug, so to see that many, they’re terrified,” said Cedrick Gamble.

Cedrick and his wife Dominique said they started noticing some bees outside their front door in early May. Cedrick said he noticed a small nest about the size of his fist just a few feet from his second-story master bedroom window.

He said he reported it to the complex managers.

In the six or so weeks that have passed, the small nest has grown startlingly fast. It is now about the size of two basketballs. It is so big that the Gambles don’t just see danger, but they hear it.

“Oh yeah, yeah you hear them all night, you hear that buzz all night,” Cedrick said. “Our headboard is right against that window. It’s like a hum you hear out of a speaker or something.”

Dominique added, “I’m so curious to know how many of them there are. They’re in so much harmony. It’s like the are just doing what they’re made to do. But, just don’t do it right here!”

“It’s all night. 24 hours a day. Worker bees really must never stop. They never stop,” she said.

The Gambles live in Mountain Valley Apartments in southwest Dallas. “From day one, once I saw it I told them about it in the office and they said they’d have someone out here,” Cedrick said.

Managers and owners have not yet responded to emails or a phone call from WFAA Thursday afternoon. Cedrick said it’s been fascinating to watch the colony grow, but the entire situation is frightening.

“It’s so big it became a spectacle. Everybody comes by to look at it,” he said, adding that some kids from neighboring apartments started throwing rocks at it one day and caused a small swarm.

They appreciate the impact bees have on the environment and don’t want to see the nest destroyed. They want it safely removed. “I really would like to see it moved, just as soon as possible,” Dominique said.